ACC reform: Political parties agree on report but reality among them is different, says Iftekharuzzaman

Although political parties agree on the recommendations made by the Anti-Corruption Commision (ACC) Reform Commission, the reality among them is different, the commission's chief Dr Iftekharuzzaman said today (11 May).

Stating that all stakeholders agree on the reform recommendations and are discussing with each other, he said, "The thing that is missing out is that… I don't see any discussion or any possibility of actually facing or managing those among us who are waiting to resist, who are or will be resisting. This is my biggest concern."

He made the remarks at a discussion titled 'Constitutional Reform Proposal and its Possible Implementation Methods' organised by the Citizens' Coalition at the International Mother Language Institute auditorium in the capital.

"We have already had the opportunity to discuss the ACC Reform Commission's report with several political parties, and the vast majority of them have agreed 100% on the report's recommendations. In some cases, perhaps some had limited observations. This is great news for me. All political parties, nationally, are saying they agree," Iftekharuzzaman, who is also the executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said.

"In reality, no political party has ever said before that they don't want corruption to be eradicated in Bangladesh. They shouldn't say that. Now that we are getting feedback that there is 100% agreement, I should be very proud or happy. But I can't be. Because the reality is completely different," he added.

He noted that while everyone is talking about the spirit of July, everyone might not hold the same idea about what it means.

"Is everyone's agenda the same as the banner [Spirit of July] that is being talked about…? Does everyone have the same thoughts about what it means to have a Bangladesh without discrimination? How can we establish our own ideas about democracy, good governance, corruption-free, ensuring accountability, balance of power, and equal rights for all citizens... Is everyone [on] the same [page] about these? All political parties are not the same, it will not happen. It is not possible. But we have to meet at a point, and the biggest thing is the risk factor of the point where we meet," he said.

"There needs to be a risk analysis from civic platforms in this regard. The risk we see is that, at the end of the day, political parties will be responsible for running the state. If the political parties do not commit to establishing the practices that they are saying in their slogans, it will not be easy to do so once they are in power, because promises are easy to make while you're not in power.

"Not only in Bangladesh, but in all countries, those in power do not want to be challenged. No one wants to be restricted in power, no one wants to be held accountable. This tendency is within us, too."

Iftekharuzzaman further said, "It will be the political parties that will take charge of running the state. They have to look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves, whether they are in power or out of power, do they really embody the slogan of establishing a non-discriminatory society in Bangladesh, the slogan of state reform? Have we learned anything since 5 August, and how much? If we ask ourselves this question and make some changes based on it, we can go a long way."